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How-To Geek

Bandito offers a unique method of news generation: it uses your iOS device’s music playlists to create a list of customized news articles focused on the musical acts you’re into.

If you’re not just interested in listening to your music collection but also getting news articles about the artists and the goings on in the music industry, Bandito is a novel news tool. It scans your collection and, based on how many tracks and how frequently you listen to the artist, ranks the artists to deliver news weighted towards your favorites. The service works best with groups that are currently performing and thus in the news. You will, for example, get many more articles about Lady Gaga (still touring, active, and all over the news) than The Beatles (many news articles on them are older and/or dealing with current legal issues surrounding their catalog of music or what the still living members are up to).

Bandito is a free tool with some minor restrictions on the number of articles served up per artists; a 1.99 in-app upgrade removes the caps. Bandito is iOS only, requires access to your music library.

Jason Fitzpatrick is warranty-voiding DIYer and all around geek. When he's not documenting mods and hacks he's doing his best to make sure a generation of college students graduate knowing they should put their pants on one leg at a time and go on to greatness, just like Bruce Dickinson. You can follow him on Google+ if you'd like.